


Expectations

by The_Marauder_Named_Prongs



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-14
Updated: 2013-01-14
Packaged: 2017-11-25 10:40:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,008
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/638036
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Marauder_Named_Prongs/pseuds/The_Marauder_Named_Prongs
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Remus receives his Hogwarts letter.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Expectations

Remus was eating breakfast with his parents one bright morning in the middle of August when a large barn owl swooped in through the open kitchen window. The owl flew over their heads once, dropping a large parchment envelope onto Remus’ plate of sausages.

His father, John Lupin, looked at his wife with a large smile. She returned it eagerly.

Remus put down his fork, looking at the letter with confusion. He never, ever got owl post. The only letters he ever received were from his mother’s Muggle relatives, and those came with a postman, not a bird. The letter had landed face-down, and Remus could see, as bright as day, the scarlet wax seal with the Hogwarts crest on it. He reached his small fingers out for the letter, picking it up gently as though it would crumble under his fingertips. He turned it over. It was most definitely addressed to him. He looked at his parents in confusion.

“What’s this?” he asked them. They continued beaming at him from their seats. “I thought I couldn’t go to Hogwarts because… because of what I am. You – you told me you would teach me magic here instead.”

They nodded. “Open it,” his father said, “and let’s see what it says.”

Remus’ hands were shaking. He had hoped for this since he was old enough to know what Hogwarts was. As a young child, he didn’t know or understand that he would not be able to attend because of his condition. Like any other young wizard child, he dreamed about Hogwarts, wondering which house he would be in and what classes he would enjoy most. His parents had tried to talk to him – to quell his imagination before it all came crumbling down to crush him – but nothing they said could deter him.

It wasn’t until Remus was nearly ten years old that his parents finally got through to him. They had sat him down at the table one night, much as he was seated now, and explained to him that he would not be going to Hogwarts. There was nothing to be done for it. A werewolf would never be allowed in. Remus had been crushed, just as they had feared he would, but they had promised to buy him a wand and teach him what they could at home. It wasn’t satisfying, but it was something. Now, over a year later, Remus had accepted what they had told him that day, and he was dealing with it admirably.

For a few brief seconds, Remus worried that this letter he now held in his hand was some sort of rejection letter from the school. He suddenly didn’t want to open it. He didn’t want to know what it said. He dropped it back down on his plate in fear.

“Don’t you want to open it?” his mother asked. Remus shook his head, looking at her in distress. She smiled kindly. “It could be something good,” she said encouragingly. Still, Remus shook his head.

 “Alright, then,” his mother said. She stood from her seat and picked up the envelope. She placed it on the counter. “It’ll be waiting here for you if you change your mind. Now eat up!”

Remus thought about the letter all day. He wanted to open it very badly, but his fear of rejection was more powerful than his curiosity. The letter remained on the counter. Every time Remus walked through the kitchen, he stopped to look at it, but he never touched it. By dinner, he could hold off his interest no longer. When he and his parents had finished their meal, he said: “I think I’d like to open it now.”

His father stood and brought the letter to him happily as his mother cleared away their dishes. Remus’ hands began to shake again as he broke the wax seal. He slowly pulled out the first heavy piece of parchment. His parents were watching him intently as he unfolded it. The letter was topped with an official looking banner.

‘Dear Mr. Lupin,’ it read,  ‘We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.’ That first line was as far as Remus got before his eyes welled with tears, blurring his vision to the point where he could read no more. He held the letter in his trembling hands, trying not to cry. He couldn’t believe it. It couldn’t be real. His parents had explained it all to him. He couldn’t go to school. He couldn’t go.

“We talked to Headmaster Dumbledore,” Mr. Lupin explained. “He’s agreed to allow you in, as long as you agree to his terms.” Remus nodded, wiping the tears from his eyes. “You will be escorted off the grounds for your transformation. You must be ready and willing to leave precisely when you are told to, no matter what. Do you understand?” Remus nodded again. “No one can know where you’re going or why. Dumbledore has agreed to give you your own room while at school if you like.”

“It will be lonely for you, Remus,” his mother interjected. “You must not tell anyone what you are or you won’t be able to stay at school. You won’t be able to have close friends.”

Remus continued to nod. He didn’t care. None of what his parents said to him seemed important at that moment. He was going to Hogwarts! That was all that mattered, and he couldn’t believe it!

“Now,” his mother said lightly, “Let’s see that supplies list of yours.”

Remus pulled it from the envelope and handed it to his mother. He was much too excited to care about what he would need buy. He excused himself from the table and ran to his room, looking all around it. He had to start deciding now what was going to come with him and what would have to stay at home. He started with his bookcase. His parents did not see him again for the rest of the night.

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the Winter Wolfstar Wank on Tumblr.


End file.
